Homesteading, Homeschooling, and Homemaking in the PNW

More Planting Today

We put the turkeys and chicks in the pen with a makeshift screen over the door. They seemed to really like being outside. The turkeys are asserting a pecking order over the chicks. They don’t seem to be as mean about it as chickens. I think when our chicks get big enough we will still put them in with the laying hens, though. The turkeys are just getting so big. The chicks are 9.5 weeks old, so I will probably see about integrating them with the other layers when they are 14 to 15 weeks old.

We had to manually move the birds to the pen from the coop since we don’t have the part of the pen built that will attach the coop to the pen. It is not the easiest thing to do as two of the turkeys don’t like to be picked up anymore. And one doesn’t mind so long as it sits on your arm and can spread its wings, but that is awkward. We will get the attachment built tomorrow and cut the door for them to use it.

We did get the human door built, and the two highest perches installed. I was too beat to take photos, that’s part of working in the heat, but I do have the photos of yesterday’s work. I will take photos in the morning of what we did today. Tomorrow we should also get all of the lower perches installed as well.

I am making a video as we go, so will get that up as soon as we are done. I don’t think the corrugated roofing will get installed before the husband has to leave for work, but they can always go into the coop if it rains. I don’t think it will rain much, though. We seem to be having a really warm spring. The 10 day forecast looks fabulous.

I did not get the rabbits bred today. It was 75 degrees and I didn’t think they’d be interested. Firefly is eating again. She did not seem to like the new feed at all that we were mixing into her old feed, so I went and bought a bag of her old feed. We’ll keep her on it until she puts some weight on. All the rest of the kits seem to be doing very well and are putting weight on. I wouldn’t be surprised if Serenity’s biggest hits 5 pounds by 8 weeks old.

We have got to get at least the one rabbit butchered tomorrow. I need the cage to start taking Serenity’s kits away from her. I have to make up my mind about Fiona. She does seem to have recovered well, but she is skittish. And I just don’t know if I want to deal with skittish. Yet at the same time I know she is skittish because of all the force nursing. So she may come out of that given time. And she is sweet. I suppose I can put Fiona in one of the outside hutches. Maybe put Persephone out in the other one with her and that would free up another indoor cage for kits. We’d have to put locks on them, though. There is one cage that if we suspend it from the ceiling of the rabbit shed we could use it inside. I just don’t know if there is time for that.

The ducks went into the coop tonight by themselves. Last night was the first night I was able to herd them in by myself, and tonight I didn’t even have to. They were actually waiting very impatiently for me to come and lock them up and scolded me for being 15 minutes past their bedtime. It was still light out with plenty of time before sundown, but they do like a schedule. They got a wading pool today for the first time. They seemed to love it, but they didn’t go in. They all just stood around it drinking. Of course I didn’t have the camera with me, but it was very cute. Maybe they will do it again tomorrow when I have the camera with me.

I’m not that concerned about it. It’s called blackhead disease, but its one of those things that primarily infects big commercial operations. My chickens don’t have it, so I’m not worried about my turkeys getting it. I don’t have the space to keep everyone separate all the time and the chicks aren’t big enough to go in with the laying hens yet, so for now they stay together. Yes, there is a small risk, but I’m willing to take it for convenience. I’ve made that tradeoff, because I know too many small homesteaders and farmers who have never had to deal with it. It’s sort of like bird flu. They like to make you think it is the backyard birds that are the problem, but it’s really the giant poultry houses that pass these things around when it comes down to actual scientific evidence. If your flock is clean and your land is clean, the risk is pretty small, in my opinion. You’ll have to weigh those risks for yourself and decide what you want to do.

Thanks so much for your reply!!! I feel pretty confident that there is none of that disease around here since wild turkeys are very common, as are domestic hens/roosters. I’ve got two young wild turkeys that could use some lessons in foraging…I think our young chickens could help them with that. They need just a little more growth, then I think I will try mixing them.